WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will announce Thursday that he will appoint Air Force General CQ Brown Jr., a storied fighter pilot with deep knowledge of China, to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Brown’s confirmation would mean that, for the first time, African-Americans would occupy top military and civilian posts in the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first black Pentagon chief, has been in office since the start of the administration. The only other black person to have served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was Army General Colin Powell.
The nomination has been long awaited. If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would replace Army General Mark Milley, whose term ends in October, as the nation’s next highest-ranking military officer. The president plans to introduce Brown as his choice during an event in the Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon.
Biden saw Brown as the right person for the job because of his work modernizing the US aircraft fleet and its nuclear arsenal and his years of experience shaping US defenses to make in the face of China’s rise, a senior administration official said. He, too, has been deeply involved in the Pentagon’s efforts to outfit Ukraine with billions of dollars in US weapons as kyiv tries to fend off a 15-month-old Russian invasion.
Brown has commanded at every possible level in the Air Force and in joint commands, including in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He also helped build and run the US air campaign against the Islamic State militant group.
Brown is a career F-16 fighter pilot with more than 3,000 hours of flight experience and command experience at all levels. He has broken barriers throughout his career. He served as the first military commander of the Black Air Forces of the Pacific, where he led the nation’s air strategy to counter China in the Indo-Pacific as Beijing rapidly militarized islands in the South China Sea and tested the reach of its forces. bombers flying near Guam.
Three years ago he became the first Black Air Force chief of staff, the service’s top military officer, which also made him the first African-American to lead either branch of the military.
Over the past year, Brown has been widely seen as the favorite to replace Milley as the Pentagon shifts from preparing for major ground wars of the past to deterring a possible future conflict with Beijing.
That effort could depend heavily on the military’s ability to rapidly confront China’s escalation in cyberwarfare, space, nuclear weapons, and hypersonics, all areas Brown has clearly focused on for the past few years. as the Air Force’s top military leader, to modernize US airpower for a 21st century fight.
However, Brown’s confirmation could be delayed. Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has been blocking military nominations because of his objections to Pentagon policy providing travel funds and support for troops and dependents to seek a variety of reproductive health care, including abortions, if they are in the states where they are. now illegal.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking officer in the country, serving as the chief military adviser to the president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council. The president does not command troops and is not formally in the chain of command. But the president plays a critical role in all major military matters, from policy decisions to advising on major combat operations, and he leads meetings with all the joint chiefs who head the various armed services.
As head of the Air Force, Brown has pushed to modernize US nuclear capabilities, including the soon-to-fly next-generation stealth bomber, and led the effort to get rid of outdated fighter jets so there are funds to move forward. with a new fleet of unmanned systems. He also supported the development of the US Space Force, which received many of its early Guardians and capabilities from the Air Force.